ArticleAnnals of botany2021
Root hairs are the most important root trait for rhizosheath formation of barley (Hordeum vulgare), maize (Zea mays) and Lotus japonicus (Gifu).
Article in Annals of botany, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Endophytic Flavobacterium promotes root hair development and enhances drought tolerance via an ERF-CEP5 hormonal regulatory module.Nature plants · 2026Article
- Root hair plasticity in cereals under abiotic stress.The New phytologist · 2026Review
- Rhizosheath is the key structural element for enhancing the drought resistance in alpine desertified grasslands of Kengyilia hirsuta.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Species habitat preferences and root trait variation across 65 temperate perennial forbs.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- A highly conserved ABCG transporter mediates root-soil cohesion in Arabidopsis.Plant physiology · 2025Article
- Not so hidden anymore: Advances and challenges in understanding root growth under water deficits.The Plant cell · 2024Review
- Root phenotypes for improved nitrogen capture.Plant and soil · 2024Review
- Bottom-up perspective - The role of roots and rhizosphere in climate change adaptation and mitigation in agroecosystems.Plant and soil · 2024Review
- OsUGE1 is directly targeted by OsGRF6 to regulate root hair length in rice.TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik · 2023Article
- Genome wide association analysis of root hair traits in rice reveals novel genomic regions controlling epidermal cell differentiation.BMC plant biology · 2023Article
- Rhizosheath: An adaptive root trait to improve plant tolerance to phosphorus and water deficits?Plant, cell & environment · 2022Review
- Altered properties and structures of root exudate polysaccharides in a root hairless mutant of barley.Plant physiology · 2022Article
- The impact of drought-induced root and root hair shrinkage on root-soil contact.Plant physiology · 2022Article
- Ensuring future food security and resource sustainability: insights into the rhizosphere.iScience · 2022Review
- Root hydraulic phenotypes impacting water uptake in drying soils.Plant, cell & environment · 2022Review
- Soil textures rather than root hairs dominate water uptake and soil-plant hydraulics under drought.Plant physiology · 2021Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsRhizosheaths are defined as the soil adhering to the root system after it is extracted from the ground. Root hairs and mucilage (root exudates) are key root traits involved in rhizosheath formation, but to better understand the mechanisms involved their relative contributions should be distinguished.
methodsThe ability of three species [barley (Hordeum vulgare), maize (Zea mays) and Lotus japonicus (Gifu)] to form a rhizosheath in a sandy loam soil was compared with that of their root-hairless mutants [bald root barley (brb), maize root hairless 3 (rth3) and root hairless 1 (Ljrhl1)]. Root hair traits (length and density) of wild-type (WT) barley and maize were compared along with exudate adhesiveness of both barley and maize genotypes. Furthermore, root hair traits and exudate adhesiveness from different root types (axile versus lateral) were compared within the cereal species. KEY
resultsPer unit root length, rhizosheath size diminished in the order of barley > L. japonicus > maize in WT plants. Root hairs significantly increased rhizosheath formation of all species (3.9-, 3.2- and 1.8-fold for barley, L. japonicus and maize, respectively) but there was no consistent genotypic effect on exudate adhesiveness in the cereals. While brb exudates were more and rth3 exudates were less adhesive than their respective WTs, maize rth3 bound more soil than barley brb. Although both maize genotypes produced significantly more adhesive exudate than the barley genotypes, root hair development of WT barley was more extensive than that of WT maize. Thus, the greater density of longer root hairs in WT barley bound more soil than WT maize. Root type did not seem to affect rhizosheath formation, unless these types differed in root length.
conclusionsWhen root hairs were present, greater root hair development better facilitated rhizosheath formation than root exudate adhesiveness. However, when root hairs were absent root exudate adhesiveness was a more dominant trait.
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